Signal Fire
by The Sarcastic Polar Bear
Summary: She pulled him close, allowing him to collapse against her. "I'm here," she whispered. "I'm not leaving you. I'm staying right here." Warning: Contains dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi. I really don't need to be posting a new story, but whatever. I am anyway. Deal with it. It's short, but oh well.**

Natara Williams let out a long soft breath as she sat behind her desk. It was late. She wasn't sure what time it was, but the full moon had settled in the sky, and most of her coworkers had gone home.

For the past thirteen days, she had stayed up late into the night, drinking coffee and working until a now familiar pain started in her temples. But she couldn't stop.

"Hey." Natara looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. Blaise Corso stood nearby. "You could go home, you know."

Natara shook her head in protest. "No," she insisted. "There's something I'm missing. Something's just not right."

"Well, you won't find it while you're stoned on caffeine and sleep deprivation," Blaise argued.

With a sigh, Natara cradled her face in her hands. "I know," she confessed. "But-"

Blaise bit her lip. "We'll find him. I'm sure he's alright. He's Mal."

"We know who has him. We know what they're capable of." Natara tried to push the mental image of the other victims out of her mind.

She tossed a crumpled Styrofoam cup into the waste bin before she stood up. Without another word she quickly made her way out of the precinct, walking through the night to her car.

Thirteen days. Natara and Blaise were the only ones who believed that he was still alive. All of the previous victims had been found dead on the fourteenth day, but she refused to allow herself to believe it.

She drove in silence to her apartment, the only sound being the traffic on the road. She collapsed onto her couch and turned on the television, scowling as a familiar report flashed across the screen.

"Police are still searching for missing detective Mal Fallon," a brunette announcer spoke dryly. "He is believed to be in the custody of three armed men, thought to be serial killers known to hold their victims captive for two weeks before murdering them."

Natara started to drone out. The announcement had been made nearly every night since Mal went missing, and the words were embedded in her mind.

"So far, these men are the prime suspects in the abduction, rape and torture, and eventual deaths of three unnamed San Francisco men. One victim was found stabbed and sodomized under a-"

Angrily she turned off the television, unable to handle it any longer. She knew the details. She had been the one to profile the suspects. She knew everything that they could do. But she didn't want to imagine those things happening to her partner.

They had fought the night before he was taken. Natara shuddered, wishing that he was with her so she could apologize.

She had nearly fallen asleep when her cell phone let out a shrill ring. "Hello?" she mumbled.

"I just got a call," Blaise said emptily. "They found a body dumped behind a store. They think it's Mal."

**I'm gonna go hide under a rock so you guys can't lynch me or burn me or whatever. I wrote this while on an eight hour drive home from DC, and I typed it on my ipod while the lady next to me ate stinky sushi and eggs, so I may have typos. I'm sick, so I'm too lazy to look for a crap to give about mistakes. XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot to mention in the last chapter that the story's title comes from the song Signal Fire by Snow Patrol. And I'm too lazy to see if there's a Special Victims Unit in San Francisco, but there is one in this story. I created the detective in this one myself. He's not nice though.**

Natara's heart raced at one hundred miles an hour as she approached the crime scene. _No_, she thought. _It can't be Mal._

She pushed past several officers, making her way closer. Blaise stood near a body, and Kai knelt over it.

"Natara-" Blaise began. "It's-"

"...Not him," Natara finished, her voice faint as she looked down at the body. She felt relief soar throughout her. But deep down, her fears continued to grow.

"Same thing," Kai mumbled lowly. Mal's disappearance had taken its toll on each of them. "This guy's been sodomized with a weapon, burned, stabbed-"

His words fell on deaf ears. Natara wasn't listening. This was nothing new.

Her train of thought was interrupted as a detective from another precinct shoved past her. "Secure the scene," he barked.

Natara glared. "Who are you?"

"Detective James Brown, San Francisco Special Victims Unit." He flashed his badge with a scowl. "And what are you doing here? This isn't _just_ a homicide investigation."

"Natara Williams, FBI. We're dealing with serial killers, and I'm a profiler. If there's a problem-"

"No, there isn't," he muttered, stalking away.

"Boy, you dug your nails into him," Blaise whistled.

Natara shrugged. "Does it matter?" She turned abruptly on her heel and walked away, a nighttime breeze ruffling her hair. Everything was so different. She had become used to leaving crime scenes with Mal beside her, but now whenever she saw one of the victims, all she could see was him.

After she climbed into her car, she sat there for a long moment, her eyes closed. Ken's death had been hard on everybody, and Mal's absence merely made matters worse. If he didn't make it, it would be the final blow

_He's alive,_ she assured herself._ He's Mal Fallon. He's alive. I know he is. And Mal, I know you're not here now, but I love you._

CoD-CoD-CoD

Blaise watched as Natara left in a rush. She sighed heavily and kicked at an empty garbage can nearby, creating a metallic clanging sound.

While she and Natara had certainly not gotten along from the start, they both knew Mal better than anyone else in the precinct. There was more chance of a snowball surviving hell than the chance of Blaise believing what the others said. Although she tried to convince Natara to go home at night, she herself had spent many nights trying to figure out why they hadn't found him yet.

This case was the first that had truly gotten to her. Most investigations didn't bother Blaise Corso, but this one absolutely did.

CoD-CoD-CoD

In San Quentin Maximum Security Prison, Jacob Fallon sat on his cot as he flipped through a photo album full of Mal's childhood pictures.

Ever since he had learned that Mal had gone missing, he had stayed up late into the night, reminiscing in old times and wishing more than anything that there was something he could do.

The sound of a voice caught his attention. Officer Anna Willis stood outside the bars of his cell. Quickly he stood up. "Anna? Anything new?"

She shook her head. "No. They haven't found him yet."

Jacob closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. Anna had been filling him in on the details of Mal's disappearance, as well had some of his other sources. From the way she spoke, everyone had given up. But he hadn't. He had that Fallon gut feeling that Mal was alive somewhere, no matter what everyone else said or thought.

If possible, Jacob would have refused to eat or sleep until he found Mal and brought him to safety. Their relationship had shattered when he was arrested, but he still loved his son, whether Mal felt the same or not. And if the bastards who had taken him had harmed him, Jacob prayed that they would be sent to his prison so he could make them pay.

And he couldn't give up on him.

**I know, another short chapter. I'M SORRY! I'll try to make them longer, but hey... still a chapter! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Here's a new chapter! This time, I'm doing review replies. If you don't want to read them, just skip over 'em.**

**nat157s: Well, thank you! I assume you liked it? **

**PhoebePhorever: Yes, Maltara and suspense! And Jacob is a boss!**

**4everyoung10: HERE. DON'T KILL MEH! XD. (By the way… TRAITOR CATS AND OSCAR DONKEYS)**

**Alyssa: Here's more!**

**BreezyFan: Yep, James is gonna be hard to deal with. Luckily he isn't in this chapter!**

**mozzi-girl: Thanks! Here you go!**

**Just a Beatles Girl: Yes, the Jacob part was sad to write. Then again, most of my stuff is. OSCAR DONKEY. XD**

As always, Natara left early for work the next morning, noticing the solemn faces of her coworkers. It was the fourteenth day. Everybody expected to receive the call they had been dreading.

She entered the bullpen quietly, hanging her jacket on the back of her chair and glancing at Mal's desk, which most had grown used to seeing empty.

She fixed herself a cup of coffee, wincing slightly as the hot bitter liquid slid down her throat. She placed the cup on her desk and sorted through the messy stack of folders piled up.

Everybody in the precinct moved and spoke quietly. It was as if they were walking on thin ice. The television was on, the same old news story flashing across the screen.

This case was tearing her to pieces. All they had to do was find Mal alive. She was a criminal profiler. Her career revolved around putting killers behind bars. So why couldn't she figure this case out? Maybe it was because the only thing on her mind was Mal.

A hand on her shoulder stirred her from her thoughts. Startled, she turned to see her fiancé standing behind her. "Oh, hey..."

Oscar frowned. "You haven't been around. What's going on? You've been staying later, not answering your phone..."

Natara let out a sigh. "Oscar, I have to do this. I can't just leave. We'll go out for dinner soon as possible. I'm just..." She couldn't bring herself to leave until Mal was safely found.

"Natara, it's been two weeks."

"I know," she confessed. "But I can't. Not now. I need to stay. I promise I'll make it up to you."

He bit back a sigh. "Alright. See you then." With that, he left the station, leaving Natara to close her eyes and massage her temples in exasperation.

"Uh, Natara?" Kai appeared in the doorway. "We found something."

Natara followed him into the crime lab, where Amy sat behind one of the computers. "What is it?"

"We rewatched the video from the security camera at Mal's apartment, and you know how it shows them putting him in a red sedan?"

Natara nodded. "The license plate was removed and one of the windows was broken," she recalled.

"Yeah. We ran another check on it. And they caught this at a gas station on the outside of town." Amy pressed a button on the keyboard, and a security video began to play.

Natara watched as the red sedan parked in front of a run down gas pump. A burly man stepped out and began to fill a large gallon with gasoline, while another man sat in the car, watching.

"When was this?" Natara asked, staring at the screen.

"About two hours ago. The place is called Rick's Gas Stop. It's on Hampton Drive."

"Thanks, guys. We'll go see." Natara exited the lab, feeling slightly hopeful. This was the first news they had recieved in days, and while it wasn't much, it was still something.

Thirty minutes later, she and Blaise parked in front of the old gas station. An older man stepped out of the building.

Natara flashed her badge. "Special Agent Natara Williams, FBI. This is Detective Blaise Corso."

"The name's Rick. I run this place." The aging man eyed their badges. "Why are you here?"

"We're asking about a red sedan that was here earlier. A couple of guys got a gallon of gas and left," Blaise informed.

Rick furrowed his brow. "Yeah, they were here. They came in and got a pack of cigs and a lighter. They weren't too friendly."

"Could you tell us anything? Did they mention where they were headed?" Natara questioned.

"They didn't say anything. Just slammed the money down, got the gas, and went that way. They were in a hurry." Rick jerked his thumb toward a nearby street.

Natara nodded. "Thank you, sir." She started to get back in the car.

"If you find them, tell the creeps they shorted me six bucks!" Rick disappeared into the station.

"Maybe we should call for backup. I have a feeling we'll need it."

"You sound like Mal," Blaise commented.

Natara shrugged and reached for her phone. She could see a dilapidated house about one hundred yards away, with a red car parked in front. "I think that's them." She quickly called for backup.

Officers Joe Bartaugh and Anna Willis arrived, signaling to them that they would approach from the other side.

Natara and Blaise slipped into bulletproof vests before silently slipping their handguns out of their holsters. Natara lightly pushed the door open, and stepped into a cold, dirty house.

Almost immediately the smell of gasoline permeated her senses. She wrinkled her nose and stepped over the squeaky wooden floor boards.

She could hear hushed voices speaking in the room above them. Her heart started to pound so loudly that she feared it could be heard from upstairs.

_This may be it,_ she thought_. I could walk into that room and find him._

Suddenly there was the sound of shattering glass and wood splitting. Natara quickly sprinted to the staircase, avoiding the loose boards and rusty nails. The rickety stairs groaned as she made her way up them, but she didn't care.

Outside there was the sound of a car engine roaring to life, and officers firing gunshots. But to Natara, the sounds faded away as she entered the room. It was as cold and dirty as the first story, if not worse. The window was shattered, and the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling barely flickered.

She felt her knees grow weak when she saw him. They had found him. Barely ten feet away, Mal lay on the floor with his eyes closed.

And he wasn't moving.

**DUN DUN DUN! I gotta keep y'all in suspense! I hope it wasn't too rushed. I'd talk more but I want pudding. *ninja poofs self into the kitchen and prepares pudding like a boss***


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, people! Here's a new chapter! Last night I was being very lazy, but I managed to gather the strength to finish this chapter. As a side note, you can thank 4everyoung10 and Just a Beatles Girl for pushing me to write.**

**REVIEW REPLIES: (Skip if you don't want to read these)**

**4everyoung10: You'll be on me to update more than ever? Then I'll troll more than ever! Then again, if you were a certain mutual friend who will remain unnamed, I would troll like a madwoman. OSCAR DONKEY.**

**mozzi-girl: Aw, you'll find out what happens to your rugged babe!**

**But I Have Promises To Keep: Thanks! Suspense is… good, I think.**

**Just a Beatles Girl: Aw, thanks! Natara has to save him! Will she? Well, I guess that's up to me. If Duane wasn't so lazy, he could help. Wayne may… Payne may kill me.**

**BreezyFan: YES A CLIFFHANGER. I AM SERIOUSLY EVIL. Thanks for the review!**

**Artist For Love: Hey! We can't have you dying! You gotta stay alive so you can review!**

Natara felt time slow to a crawl as she approached Mal, her feet feeling as if they weighed one hundred pounds. Her legs shook as she knelt beside him. She hesitated before gently touching his shoulder.

She felt both relief and heartache when he flinched and let out a pained sound. He opened his eyes weakly and opened his mouth to speak, but no words left.

"It's me, Mal. It's Natara. I'm here," she whispered, smoothing a hand over his torn shirt and trying not to wince at the amount of both old and fresh blood staining it. She realized that there was a deep gash in his side, and she pressed her hands over it. Mal shuddered. "Don't worry, Mal, we're gonna get you out of here. Help is on their way up right now."

He managed a faint nod and edged slightly closer to her, his gaze never travelling away from her. After spending two agonizing weeks in this room, he had lost nearly all hope of seeing her again. He closed his eyes for a moment and hoped that it was real and not just a dream.

He had lost count of the times when he thought he could see her only to wake up and realize that he was only dreaming.

"Hey, stay with me, okay? Just another minute."

"Here," Blaise said softly, handing her a trauma blanket. Natara took it and draped it around Mal's shoulders. Several paramedics made their way into the room with a stretcher.

"Here we go, Mal. They're gonna take you to the hospital." The smell of gasoline grew stronger as Mal grabbed her hand tightly. "I'll ride with you. C'mon," she urged. Finally he gave in, and she stood nearby as he was loaded into the ambulance.

"I'll meet you at the hospital." Blaise holstered her gun as Natara climbed in after Mal. Natara kept a grip on Mal's hand, sitting near him as the ambulance sped towards the hospital.

CoD-CoD-CoD

The ambulance skidded to a stop in the ambulance bay, and the paramedics quickly lifted the stretcher out of the back. Mal's eyes had slipped shut, and Natara stepped back as they pushed the gurney through the set of double doors.

"Don't worry, we'll update you soon," one of the paramedics assured her. Forcing a nod, Natara leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.  
She sat down in one of the stiff hospital chairs, tapping her foot nervously.

This was her least favorite part of hospitals. She hated everything about them, but fearing for someone she cared about was the worst part. Mal had lost consciousness on the ambulance due to blood loss, but Natara knew that his physical injuries were the least concern.

"Any word?" Blaise asked as she took a seat nearby. Startled from her thoughts, Natara shook her head.

"He blacked out in the ambulance. He lost a lot of blood. But I don't think that's what we need to worry about."

Blaise let out a sigh and shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. "If those miserable creeps did those things to him, they better send the whole damn police force after them and shoot them where it hurts."

Natara forced a nod. "But remember to stay calm when Mal wakes up. He needs our support."

A dark haired woman in scrubs approached them. "Agent Williams? I'm Dr. Mary Thomson, Detective Fallon's primary."

Natara stood up. "How is he?"

Dr. Thompson looked at them gravely. "We were able to stitch the wounds. If you hadn't found him when you did, that stab wound would have killed him within an hour. He's lucky to be alive. He's also malnourished and dehydrated."

"And? Was he r-" Unable to finish, Natara's voice caught in her throat.

"When we were stitching the wound, we noticed some other injuries. By law we can't fully examine them without his permission, but yes, it appears so."

Natara and Blaise both paled. They knew what to expect, but hearing it out loud felt like a sharp blow.

"We'll move him to the ICU soon. I'll let you know when he's ready for visitors."

"Okay," Natara whispered, forcing back tears. She sat down again, burying her face in her hands. After all their hard work, they had found him. But deep down, she felt that it was only the beginning.

**DING DING DING! You have received a review kit! To use, you type in that little box below, say a bunch of unladylike words because fanfiction changed their layout, finish typing your review, and hit the send button! It's that easy, and it won't charge you or your healthcare provider a single penny!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello there, my precious people! Okay, that came out a bit different than I planned. It's time for a new chapter! Let me start with some review replies and you can read! Skip the replies if you want.**

**ZeDancingHobbit: I didn't mean to keel you! Here's a new chapter, and thanks for reviewing!**

**ArtistForLove: Ah, yeah, I love Mal too! For some reason my favorite character is always the one in trouble in my stories.**

**Mozzi-girl: Here's more! :D Thanks for the review!**

**SpiritualandDifferent: HAHAHAH I MADE YOU CRY! Sorry, but I can be mean to you if I want! Heh.**

**BreezyFan: I KNOW THAT I'M A MEAN PERSON! WE DON'T NEED TO ADDRESS THAT! Okay, we probably do, but thanks for the review! XD**

**Guest: Yes, I did make another chapter!**

**4everyoung10: You're gonna push me MORE? NOOOOO!**

**pOpTaRt: Well, here's what happens next!**

When Mal awakened later in the evening, it took him several long moments to remember where he was. He eyed his surroundings, recognizing the bland hospital walls and the beeping machine connected to him.

Natara sat by his side, one hand resting on the bed rail as she absently read a book. Mal hesitated before slipping his hand under hers.

"I see you're awake." Natara looked up from her book and set it aside. "How are you feeling?"

He was unsure of how to respond. The physical pain had been reduced because of the medication he had been giving, but he couldn't really describe how he felt.

Natara watched as Mal glanced around the room, the nervous look in his eyes still lingering. She longed to tell him that everything would be alright, but she would be lying. The men responsible for this were still out there, somewhere unknown. "Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

Mal shook his head, closing his eyes for a long moment. He closed his fingers around her hand. Natara ran her thumb across the back of his hand. "When did you eat last?"

Mal closed his eyes and thought, trying to remember the last time he had eaten anything. The last he remembered was a piece of bread at least four days ago.

"It's okay. You don't have to eat right now. Just let me know when, okay?"

He shifted in the bed, attempting to make himself more comfortable. Natara pulled the blanket over his shoulders and picked up the glass of water on the nightstand. She held the glass to his lips as he took a long drink.

When he was done, she set the glass on the stand and sat down. "They said you have some broken ribs and they had to stitch a couple of wounds. I guess we got to you just in time, huh?" Natara wished he would speak to her, but after what he had been through, she couldn't push him too hard.

Her words echoed in his mind. He found it hard to believe that he was still alive. His hopes of making it through had been almost entirely shattered by the time he was found. The two weeks had felt much longer, each day dragging on forever. Nights were long and cold, with the sound of an occasional floor board creaking.

He didn't realizing that he had lost himself in thought until somebody touched his shoulder. He let out a sharp breath and jumped, but calmed down once he realized it was only Natara.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said softly. "Mal, there's something I need to ask you. The doctor wants to do an... exam. Will you do it?"

Mal's gaze travelled away, and he paled visibly.

"I'll stay right there with you," Natara promised. "It won't take that long."

He looked back at her before managing a barely noticeable nod, feeling a lump form in his throat. Natara smiled reassuringly and patted his arm.

Shortly later a doctor walked into the room. "Are you ready?"

Natara slipped her fingers through Mal's and squeezed his hand. "It'll be alright, Mal. I'm gonna sit here with you." She edged her chair closer and rested her other hand on Mal's shoulder.

Mal's grip tightened and Natara rubbed his arm soothingly. His eyes slipped shut as he rested his head on the pillow.

In reality it was only thirty minutes, but it felt like hours later when the doctor finished. "Alright. We're done. I'll be back later with the results."

"Thank you." Natara glanced down at Mal. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Mal shrugged, his hand still gripping hers. He let out a quiet yawn.

"You can just rest if you want. Do you want me to stay here?"

He nodded in response, and eventually he fell asleep. Natara gazed at him for a long moment. He hadn't spoken a word, and that worried her. She knew that he would be deeply shaken, but his silence terrified her.

Night had just begun to settle when Mal stirred. Natara had started to nod off, but his movement caught her attention. He shuddered, furrowing his brow and clenching his fist.

"Mal, wake up," she murmured. She felt her heart ache when he opened his eyes, a hollow terrified look evident. "It was just a dream. You're alright." She mentally kicked herself. Of course he wasn't alright.

He let out a shaky breath as he leaned against the pillows. He closed his eyes again and tried to rest, but sleep was uneasy.

**Aww, I know I'm a horrible person for writing something like this. But it's gonna have lots of hurt and comfort, which is easily my favorite to write. Review, please?**


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